Different bash prompt for different vi editing mode?

Question

When using vi mode (set -o vi) with Bash, it would be nice to have a prompt that depends on the mode you are currently in (insert or command). How does one find out this edi

Answer 1

Bash 4.4 / Readline 7.0 will add support for user-settable mode strings.

You can try the beta versions, but they seem a bit buggy at the moment. They also don't yet support specifying where in the prompt you want the mode indicator to occur (which I think is the killer feature).

If you don't want to wait, and aren't afraid of a little compilation, I've published patched versions of bash 4.3 and readline 6.3 to github that support this functionality.

With the patched versions you can do stuff like this:

More details, including how to install, are available at https://github.com/calid/bash

Answer 2

Different Prompt and Cursor Style via .inputrc

First you should make sure that you're running a bash version higher than 4.3:

$ bash --version
GNU bash, version 4.4

Then put the following lines in your ~/.inputrc:

#################### VIM ####################
# FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK:
# https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Readline

# TURN ON VIM (E.G. FOR READLINE)
set editing-mode vi

# SHOW THE VIM MODE IN THE PROMPT (COMMAND OR INSERT)
set show-mode-in-prompt on

# SET THE MODE STRING AND CURSOR TO INDICATE THE VIM MODE
#   FOR THE NUMBER AFTER `\e[`:
#     0: blinking block
#     1: blinking block (default)
#     2: steady block
#     3: blinking underline
#     4: steady underline
#     5: blinking bar (xterm)
#     6: steady bar (xterm)
set vi-ins-mode-string (ins)\1\e[5 q\2
set vi-cmd-mode-string (cmd)\1\e[1 q\2

In command mode, the cursor is displayed as block.
In insert mode, the cursor is displayed as vertical bar.

The prompt itself will then look like this depending on the mode:

(cmd)$ ... 
(ins)$ ...

Answer 3

This is what I have in ~/.inputrc

set show-mode-in-prompt on
set vi-ins-mode-string \1\e[34;1m\2└──[ins] \1\e[0m\2
set vi-cmd-mode-string \1\e[33;1m\2└──[cmd] \1\e[0m\2

Insert mode it is colored blue.

└──[ins]

Command mode it is colored yellow.

└──[cmd]

The downside is it does not display on a tty meaning it only works on a terminal emulator only the colors.

Answer 4

I try to get a indicator for BASH vi mode also, and you all learned it's sound simple and just no way to do it yet.

My current approach is: hit 'a' when I not sure which mode is. IF 'a' appears after BASH PROMOT, I learn I am in 'INSERT' mode. THEN, I hit 'RETURN' and continue. This is a easy way for me to solve the small annoyance.

By the way, I 'alias a='cal', or something else to give the empty hit 'a' little usefulness.

Answer 5

for Multiline prompt like this image

my work arround is like this

my bash prompt

export PS1=" ┌錄 \[\e[32m\]\u\[\e[m\]\[\e[32m\]@\[\e[m\]\[\e[32m\]\h\[\e[m\] \w \\$ \n "

.inputrc

set show-mode-in-prompt on
set vi-ins-mode-string " └──錄 (ins):"
set vi-cmd-mode-string " └──錄 (cmd):"

hope this helped you

Answer 6

Fresh bash 4.3 and readline 6.3 have something for you guys.. from the changelog:

4.  New Features in Readline
j.  New user-settable variable, show-mode-in-prompt, adds a characters to the
    beginning of the prompt indicating the current editing mode.

So putting

set show-mode-in-prompt on

into /etc/inputrc or ~/.inputrc (thx stooj) should affect all your readline-enabled programs ;)